Hays : Booming internet business & go-digital campaigns continue to drive recruitment activity in China

The booming development of internet-based businesses in China will usher in a greater demand for candidates with experience of digital marketing and data analysis, according to recruiting experts Hays in China.

This is one key finding from the Hays Quarterly Report, for the July to September quarter, which identifies current recruitment trends in the market.

Simon Lance, Managing Director for Hays in China, says, 'Internet is penetrating nearly all industries in China as innovative and revolutionary products strike a chord with consumers.

'In this quarter, candidates with a proven track record of handing online businesses will be actively sought after as most companies speed up their go-digital campaigns to vie for bigger market share.

'Data scientists, e-commerce marketing managers and professionals capable of crafting digital strategies will be in hot demand. It will continue to be a candidate-short market in China, which remains to be the world's leader in applying IT technologies to commercial processes.'

'E-commerce, financial technologies and artificial intelligence are among the bright spots that will see strong hiring activity with skilled talent set to receive multiple offers', according to Simon.

'China's efforts to transform its economic growth pattern will accelerate as businesses are forced to create new growth engines.

'Making better use of internet technologies to adapt to people's changing lifestyles has become a key task facing Chinese companies. We will see breakneck growth of internet-related businesses and employers will need to strengthen their training capabilities to help existing staff better understand new technology. Candidates are increasingly willing to shift from traditional industries to internet-related sectors to hone their skills in the pursuit of career advancement.'

According to the Hays Quarterly Report for July to September, demand is highest for the following skilled professionals:

• Accountancy & Finance:
FP&A Managers - Replacement hiring is pervasive with FP&A managers in high demand. More roles for operation financial analysts or commercial analysts will need to be filled.
Accounting professionals - Candidates with solid accounting experience and good communication skills are in demand by employers

• Banking & Financial Services:
Credit Managers - The financial services sector has a severe shortage of credit managers amid increasing demand from employers.
Crisis Managers - Talent with the capability of developing business in difficult times is actively sought after by banks and financial institutions.
Overseas Investment Managers - Increasing investment by Chinese companies outside China is leading to higher demand for talent with expertise in managing assets abroad.

• Education:
Digital Marketing Managers - The rising popularity of online education makes candidates with good experience of digital marketing attractive
Course Designers - Chinese parents' intensified efforts to seek a more international learning environment for their children is creating new roles for bilingual course designers.

• Human Resources:
Organisation Development Directors - a very strategic role which needs talent with a deep understanding of business.
C&B Managers - HR talent with excellent technical skills are sought after by employers.

• Information Technology:
Data Scientists - Candidates proficient in analysis tools and experienced working with large data sets are in demand.
Algorithm Researchers - Employers expect talent in this field to provide intelligent solutions.

• Legal:
In-house Advisors - Companies are seeking qualified talent to help minimise risk of doing business in China.
Compliance Managers - Compliance managers are always in high demand amid employers' increasing awareness of risk management.
Legal Counsels - Professionals are needed to help companies better understand labour laws and handle employment issues.

• Life Sciences:
Key Account Managers - Qualified professionals are highly sought after to help companies enlarge their influence in hospitals.
Research and Development professionals - Candidates with medial chemistry backgrounds and strong analytical abilities are favoured by employers.

• Manufacturing & Operations:
Business Development Managers - Talent that can contribute to business growth are always in high demand.
Quality Assurance professionals - There is a shortage of talent in the market as companies focus on product quality.
Operation Managers - Companies are in need of operation managers to ensure productive output.

• Oil & Gas:
Sales Managers - Candidates with solid sales experience are in strong demand as companies seek to survive the slowing economy.
Business Development Managers - Companies are striving to explore new business opportunities, creating fresh demand for business development managers.

• Sales & Marketing:
Social Media Managers - Candidates with strong experience of using social media platforms to promote brands and products are sought after.
E-commerce Marketing Managers - Due to the increasing need for reaching a wider range of customers, e-commerce marketing managers are in demand.

To read the full Hays Quarterly Report, including candidate and employer trends and forecasts, please visit http://www.hays.cn/en/report

Hays, the world's leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

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About Hays
Hays plc (the 'Group') is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 31 December 2015 the Group employed 9,420 staff operating from 248 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2015:

- the Group reported net fees of £764.2 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £164.1 million;
- the Group placed around 63,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 200,000 people into temporary assignments;
- 23% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific, 41% in Continental Europe & RoW (CERoW) and 36% in the United Kingdom & Ireland;
- the temporary placement business represented 58% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 42% of net fees;
- Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA.